Been full timing for almost 8 years and living next to your neighbors in an RV park is awful. You are packed in like sardines in a can. Rights?...you have hardly any as you are a renter. They tell you, "if you don't like it, there's the road, you got wheels under your home". But where do you go when you leave that park? The one down the road is just as bad, maybe worse? Your only hope is Boondocking. Find a friend to camp with you and you got it made. This way there is always someone at camp looking after things when one is in town buying supplies. What things you might say? George Carlin said it best..."your stuff". Living this life is all about being as free as possible, but don't forget about your stuff. With out our stuff we are lost. Once you have Boondocked for awhile you will begin to look at other rigs with a gleem in your eye. You will want to 'trade up' (get a bigger rig) because the one you have doesn't have enough room for...you guessed it... "all your stuff". Now instead of a one axle rig you have got to get a two axle rig. Now you must trade up your tow vehicle too so you can pull...you guessed it...all your stuff. Now Boondocking places are harder to find because you are pulling a 5th wheel with a one ton four wheel drive gas guzzeling truck. Are you beginning to see the trend here? My advice is to just stay home. When you graduate from high school just stay home, like so many youngsters are doing now days. They realize it is a hopeless cause...parents and grandparents listen to the youth of this country, its not worth it... just stay home

Hah! I am looking to go a bit bigger in the next few years. I will have to get a larger tow vehicle too. BUT! I am a VERY social person, I have a lot of cookouts and enjoy being with other people. My need for bigger is actually so I can have company! I have many friends that are still living in sticks and bricks that want to join me at different destinations for a few days, but do not want to tent it. Most are older and need a bed. I also want a place to put daily usage things like a dirty clothes basket/hamper. I just had to move it from my seat so I could get on the computer. Since I cook for many, and often, I really could use SOME counter space, a two sided sink and an extra burner. Also some larger cookware since my storage is too small for anything bigger than a quart sized pot and a few smaller skillets/pots. I would also like more storage so that I can load up on food/supplies before boondocking for long periods, making the dreadful trips to town less frequent.

So, to each their own. By the time I move up to maybe a 21' or 23', I will have lived in my little Scamp for 10 years. I have learned a lot and in a way feel like my desire for bigger is insulting to my Scamp. But I NEED people and socialization to be happy. Why travel to great places and meet new people if you can't be happy doing it? That is the question I had to ask myself when I started thinking about moving up.

As some of you know Cari and I have been living full time in a large (40ft) fifth wheel since 2011 currently parked at a golf/rv resort about 5 miles from our employer on the Oregon coast. We did lots of research and wanted to do a tiny house but the zoning laws would not allow it (they said it would bring down the value of area homes). Anywhoo...we did the next best thing and really luv living large in a small cozy place.

The attachment to this post is a picture out of our breakfast nook window. Yes we actually have a nice private yard and the deer come and visit often. With finches, doves, humming birds nearly all daylight hours at feeders.

Once a month from spring thaw to fall freeze we take our Adventure Rig some of you have seen at the Oregon gatherings. Our Van conversion is still Cari's daily driver and we will hook up the Parkliner for most trips. Some, like next month's, is planned as a van-only + hammocks/tarps. We do this often just to break up the routine (Van+TT).

OH, so what have we learned? Like many have stated already...
Compatibility with a partner is tops if you are going to bring one along!
A place for everything and everything in its place.
First in / First out thingy. Great on the budget too : )
Books... lots of books. . . on our two Kindles
Laptops and iPads galore for entertainment and such (iPads/Galaxy Tabs are used for movies while on the go. 55" tv when in the big rig.

Do you find many nice boondocking places on the East coast of the US? The population is more dense, and we don't have the wide expanses of land like out West or BLM land for free. I'm interested in your take on this... are you resolved to pay for campsites on the East coast? Thx.

there is something called f.lux for computers that can change the hue of the the whole display, It can even change as the sun goes down to a colour that helps keep the computers display from effecting your sleep patterns and melatonin levels. I find it barely noticeable in use but helps my eyes a lot. Your 11 year old will of course have to tell you if it will work with your computer

Do you find many nice boondocking places on the East coast of the US? The population is more dense, and we don't have the wide expanses of land like out West or BLM land for free. I'm interested in your take on this... are you resolved to pay for campsites on the East coast? Thx.

Practically all of our (North)east coast camping happened when we were just starting out and was group camping with friends. If you're really into the Northeast (NL) there is basically tons of boondocking spots.

Escapees has a group called Days End that has numerous free or very low cost camping sites. There are other clubs or websites like Days End.

Over the years we have a list of low cost camping sites, and if it's cold we seek power everytime.

I guess I am 1hr north of NYC and don't see a lot of boondocking opportunities in these parts. Haha.

Quote:

Originally Posted by honda03842

Practically all of our (North)east coast camping happened when we were just starting out and was group camping with friends. If you're really into the Northeast (NL) there is basically tons of boondocking spots.

Escapees has a group called Days End that has numerous free or very low cost camping sites. There are other clubs or websites like Days End.

Over the years we have a list of low cost camping sites, and if it's cold we seek power everytime.

I just joined Days End and will take a look at opportunities in the Northeast. I just found out that Maine has a higher percentage of forest than any state in the nation. Maybe there are opportunities there, as Northeast as you can get in the east.

Many places in the NorthWoods, unfortunately they charge you to enter so it's not really free. At least they did when I entered up at the Allagash.

Also some in the Green Mts and there used to be a small area where you could park on the side of an unused road in the Whites. Last I looked it was not listed on their website as dispersed camping anymore.

Been full timing for almost 8 years and living next to your neighbors in an RV park is awful. You are packed in like sardines in a can. Rights?...you have hardly any as you are a renter. They tell you, "if you don't like it, there's the road, you got wheels under your home". But where do you go when you leave that park? The one down the road is just as bad, maybe worse? Your only hope is Boondocking. Find a friend to camp with you and you got it made. This way there is always someone at camp looking after things when one is in town buying supplies. What things you might say? George Carlin said it best..."your stuff". Living this life is all about being as free as possible, but don't forget about your stuff. With out our stuff we are lost. Once you have Boondocked for awhile you will begin to look at other rigs with a gleem in your eye. You will want to 'trade up' (get a bigger rig) because the one you have doesn't have enough room for...you guessed it... "all your stuff". Now instead of a one axle rig you have got to get a two axle rig. Now you must trade up your tow vehicle too so you can pull...you guessed it...all your stuff. Now Boondocking places are harder to find because you are pulling a 5th wheel with a one ton four wheel drive gas guzzeling truck. Are you beginning to see the trend here? My advice is to just stay home. When you graduate from high school just stay home, like so many youngsters are doing now days. They realize it is a hopeless cause...parents and grandparents listen to the youth of this country, its not worth it... just stay home

This is exactly why I don't do "stuff". When in doubt, I always downsize. If something I've acquired leads me to think about upsizing, I get rid of that thing asap! No stuff = more freedom!